Highly Recommended: BETWEEN THE PIPES

 

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Between the Pipes
Written by Albert McLeod (ancestry from Nisichawayasihk Cree, and Cross Lake
 and Norway House Metis) with Elaine Mordoch (not Native) 
and Sonya Ballantyne (Swampy Cree)
Illustrated by Alice RL (Ojibwe) and Kielamel Sibal (not Native)
Published in 2024
Publisher: Highwater Press
Reviewed by Jean Mendoza

Not long ago, one of my favorite people on earth posted their reaction to a scene in a popular streaming series that lovingly affirmed LGBTQ+ experience in a way that felt specific to their life. They remembered how deeply they had needed such affirmation and acceptance during their childhood and youth. We know that representation matters, that young LGBTQ+ people need to see themselves reflected in  media. But to see someone you love speak from the heart about it, with such vulnerability, resonates at another level.  

I had recently read the 2024 graphic novel Between the Pipes, from Highwater Press. We put it on AICL's list of best books we read in 2024. It's a great example of LGBTQ+-affirming media for young people that can support those who, like my dear one, are often discouraged in their search for accurate, positive representation.

Here's what publisher Highwater Press says about Between the Pipes:

Thirteen-year-old Chase’s life and identity should be simple. He’s the goalie for his hockey team, the Eagles. He’s a friend to Kevin and Jade. He's Kookum's youngest grandchild. He’s a boy. He should like girls. But it’s not that simple. Chase doesn’t like girls the way that the other boys do. It’s scary being so different from his peers. Scarier still is the feeling that his teammates can tell who he is—and that they hate him for it. If he pretends hard enough, maybe he can hide the truth.

Real strength and change can’t come from a place of shame. Chase’s dreams are troubled by visions of a bear spirit, and the more he tries to hide, the more everything falls apart. With the help of an Elder and a Two-Spirit mentor, can Chase find the strength to be proud of who he is? Between the Pipes explores toxic masculinity in hockey through the experiences of an Indigenous teen.

Note: I typically use "LGBTQ+", but the authors use 2SLGBTQI+. The 2S stands for 2-Spirit. I've been using the GLAAD Media Guide's glossary of terms to keep up with appropriate terms. Here's what they say about "2-Spirit":

Two-Spirit: An adjective used by some Indigenous and First Nations people as an umbrella term to describe people who are not straight and/or cisgender. Many Indigenous communities have specific words in their language to describe these experiences, but some do not. This term should not be used to describe people who are not Indigenous. Only use it for an Indigenous person if they use it to describe themselves.

You may already know that an academic term for such multiple-factor identity is "intersectionality." The term 2-Spirit reflects intersectionality. Some of the creators of Between the Pipes are Indigenous and identify as 2-Spirit. The author's bio, from the publisher, says

Albert McLeod is a Status Indian with ancestry from Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation and the Métis communities of Cross Lake and Norway House in northern Manitoba. He has over thirty years of experience as a human rights activist and was one of the founders of 2-Spirited People of Manitoba. Albert is a member of the team who designed "Thunderhead," the winning concept for the 2SLGBTQI+ National Monument in Ottawa.

Collaborator Sonya Ballantyne is Swampy Cree, and illustrator Alice RL identifies as a "non-binary Ojibwe artist." So, we see First Nations affiliations and first-hand experience with issues facing 2SLGBTQI+ people.  This all tells readers to expect a story with dual "insider" perspectives --Indigenous and 2SLGBTQI+. 

Co-author Elaine Mordoch explains in her author's note that Between the Pipes is the result of "an action research project to produce a graphic novel based on the lived experience of Two-Spirit people."

Back to the story! As the publisher's summary says, it explores hockey's culture of toxic masculinity (with its homophobic elements). Chase gets hassled about various aspects of his manliness, mainly by teammate Leo. As is too often the case for 2SLGBTQ+ kids, he internalizes all the negative messages, and tries to deny his feelings. He feels ashamed, afraid, and isolated. His attempt to find support from a clueless guidance counselor at school is especially groan-inducing. 

He begins to reject his two highly supportive friends and even yells at his Kookum (grandmother) whom he lives with. She then arranges for Chase to meet a 2-Spirit Cree filmmaker he admires, and an Elder who is gay. He gradually responds to their good-humored, loving support, getting to know the First Nations community in between practicing hard to improve his game. 

The artists' work is especially strong in several multi-panel pages in the storytelling. For just one example, take a close look at the hockey game sequence starting on p. 44.  Some nice subtle details reveal Chase's growing comfort with who he is. First, we see him wrapping his hockey stick with rainbow tape. Then a panel shows the rainbow flag patch sewn on the sleeve of his uniform. His winning role in the game (a shut-out!) is shown in a rapid-fire sequence. Finally, we see him respond constructively to a taunt from Leo -- after which Leo quietly taps Chase's stick in acknowledgement, and Chase taps back. They might not be friends, but Leo has signaled that maybe he won't be such a jerk, going forward. 

Be sure to read "A Word from the Authors" at the back, for the information, resources, and encouragement for those who want to support 2SLGBTQI+ young people. One of the best ways adults can show their respect, care, and love for kids like Chase is to make sure they have access to books like Between the Pipes. That's going to be challenging in the coming years, as homophobes in leadership positions try to ban all books with LGBTQ+ content from classrooms and libraries. So I urge teachers, librarians, and family members to do everything possible to make sure books like this one -- with the all-important message that they belong and deserve to be loved and understood -- stay available. 

Highly Recommended! A first look at Yáadilá!: Good Grief!, Written by Laurel Goodluck; illustrated by Jonathan Nelson

Yáadilá! Good Grief! 

Written by Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara)

Illustrated by Jonathan Nelson (Diné)

Published in 2025

Publisher: Heartdrum (HarperCollins)

Reviewer: Debbie Reese

Review Status: Highly Recommended

****

Back in 2016 I read a comic called The Wool of Jonesy -- and I loved it. Since then I've followed Jonathan Nelson's work. Again and again, his words and art are precisely what I want Native kids to have. Then in 2022, I read Laurel Goodluck's Forever Cousins. Her storytelling hits me like Jonathan's does. Her books are the ones I want all Native kids to have. He did the illustrations for Forever Cousins. If you've participated in webinars I do online, you know that I talk about their book a lot. And now, they're partnered up again in Yáadilá! Good Grief! 

Imagine me opening Yáadilá! Good Grief! Then imagine my smile as I see the sheep in the endpaper art! Something about Nelson's illustrations of sheep appeals to me in ways I can't explain. There aren't any on the cover (shown above) but sheep are a significant part of the story Goodluck and Nelson give to us. On the cover, you see a family (a grandmother, parents, and two children). 

Here's the synopsis:

Bahe and Dezba are helping their grandmother, Nali, move from her sheep camp home to their house. The family is packing up, carrying heavy boxes, and settling into a new life together, which isn’t always easy. At every frustration, they throw up their hands and exclaim, “Yaadila!” Good grief!

Bahe sees that this big change is hardest for Nali. But he has a secret plan. Whatever can he be doing with a bucket of water, all that yarn, and Dezba’s dollhouse?

In this heartwarming and quintessentially Navajo (Diné) story, author Laurel Goodluck (Mandan, Hidatsa, and Tsimshian) and illustrator Jonathan Nelson (Diné) together show a big change for an Elder made easier with a creative gesture of love and care.  

In my webinars, I tell participants to go right to the end matter in a book to study the author's notes. Those pages are packed with information that teachers, parents, librarians -- anyone who is going to use the book -- need to fully engage the story.

When you flip to the back of this book to find the Author's Note, the first thing you'll is a large red box with a note (white text on a red background) from the "Helpful Narrator" who says

Shhh. Don't tell Bahe, but I'm sneaking back. Wow, wasn't that a fun story? You learned how to yáadilá. You saw how a little sister could be annoying when you're busy doing something nice for your nali. And how cool was it to learn new Diné words? Now it's that time in a picture book when you learn about the author. The author--

In the midst of that sentence, we see an interruption in black text: "Excuse me? What are you doing here?" and then, the final sentence in the red box:

The author has a few words to share on her own. Yáadilá! I'm really done. Hágoónee'.

And beneath that red box/note from Helpful Narrator, we find the Author's Note. 

We first met Helpful Narrator in the opening pages. There, it tells us (the readers) how to say yáadilá and how to convey it, too, with body language. As soon as I get a hard copy of the book, I'll be back with some screen captures to show you how this all plays out. 

Helpful Narrator's purpose is to speak to us in ways that resonate with me. Within Native communities--and yours, too, perhaps--a reading or storytelling has moments when the reader/speaker steps out of the story to say something. It is a natural way of storytelling. In film, that's called "breaking the fourth wall" and it annoys some people, but I like it because it feels right to me. Storytelling is not strictly a performance! Storytellers might perform but they also engage their audience. That's what Helpful Narrator does in the opening pages, and at the end, too. 

I'll be back with more to say about this wonderful book. Obviously I am delighted with it which means I'm highly recommending that you get it for your public and school libraries, and for your classrooms, and your home library, too!